'The Batman': What Ben Barnes Could Look Like as Bruce Wayne

Artist BossLogic has re-imagined The Punisher star Ben Barnes as the next Bruce Wayne in the wake of Batman star Ben Affleck's exit from the role.

I was talking to @benbarnes and said I needed him to shave for this 😅 #thebatman @wbpictures pic.twitter.com/iQWcALR0yC

— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) February 8, 2019

Barnes is best known to genre fans for his portrayal of Marvel's Billy Russo, the twisted war buddy and former best friend of gun-toting vigilante Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal).

When nominated for the role by Heroic Hollywood, Barnes said, "I accept."

"I came across recently this picture of me when and I'm about 4 years old. And I have a little bit of string around my neck with a yellow piece of paper and a black bat drawn on the bit of paper. It is the saddest little Batman costume you've ever seen," he said.

"I think that would be up there for me in something to try and find a new way to do. I think the way [Dark Knight trilogy star] Christian Bale did it where he completely reinvented it which is a little bit what I was trying to do with Jigsaw in season 2.

"We never refer to him as Jigsaw necessarily so it didn't feel quite honest to do exactly what they did in the Warzone comics and stuff but to find a new way around things is an interesting thing. With TV and movies these days you have find a way to make it new, fresh and interesting. So, yeah that would be a pretty cool thought."

Studio Warner Bros. is reportedly now in the hunt for a "familiar face" to don the cape and cowl of a younger caped crusader to headline writer-director Matt Reeves' tentatively titled The Batman.

"It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale," Reeves said previously of his vision for the DCEU solo entry.

"It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I'd love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it's going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation."

The Batman is dated June 25, 2021.